“There are a lot of male models here,” an attendee was overheard remarking during the cocktail hour preceding the Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards Thursday night, and it was true. Almost every male in the room, marked by slicked-back hair and a fixed semi-vacant stare, looked like he could be mistaken for G-Eazy. There were a lot of shimmering black blazers.

There were plenty of female models, too, circling the room, located off the mezzanine floor in the Park Hyatt in Midtown: Irina Shayk,Devon Windsor,Nina Agdal,Taylor Hill,Alek Wek,Ashley Graham,Paris Jackson,Tess Holliday, and many more air-kissed and posed for Boomerangs. It was essentially an after-work networking event for fashion-industry heavyweights. I listened as the following conversation took place between two attendees stationed by the bar, gazing out at the crowd.

“Where’s Francisco?”

“Which one?”

[A brief pause]

“And who’s that, over there?”

“Oh, that’s . . . uh, that stylist.”

The host of the evening’s proceedings was Darren Criss, perhaps an unlikely choice for the Fashion Week event—though in his own bedazzled black blazer, he fit in quite admirably. Before the show, he told us, “I just feel happy that they asked me [to host].”

Nominated for his turn in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story at the upcoming Emmys, Criss said this hosting gig, and other commitments, have allowed him to keep Emmys-related nerves at bay: “Luckily, I have so many other things occupying my brain right now, which thankfully has saved me from thinking about it.” What recent fashion trend is Criss most excited about? “It’s fun that I see the white sock is coming back, which is kind of cool. M.J. had something going on. It’s funny, because like five years ago, you would never be caught dead in a white sock.” Criss approves of the recent re-emergence of fanny packs, as well: “Function over fashion. That one’s always been a secret favorite of mine.”

Martha Stewart—who arrived with W magazine editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi, whom she would later present with an award (for lifetime achievement)—wore a very chic blue and white striped shirtdress, which she told us was designed by Balenciaga. Stewart, perhaps unsurprisingly, is pretty traditional when it comes to her fashion taste these days: “I really love the classic, practical, simple, cotton.” She also weighed in on socks, offering an endorsement that should definitively end the discussion on the clothing item. “I like white socks,” Martha Stewart told me. It has been spoken.

As everyone took their seats for the actual awards presentation, co-sponsored by Fiji Water, a few different high-profile celebrities snuck in: Priyanka Chopra, in a striking black outfit, arrived to present the award for male model of the year to former Quantico co-star Jon Kortajarena. (Criss—who explained during his opening remarks that he often gets mistaken for a Jonas brother—joked, after introducing Chopra, who is engaged to Nick Jonas, later on in the ceremony, “Thank you for accepting my wedding proposal.”)

Gigi Hadid entered the room in a shimmering silver gown right as the show was to begin, sitting in the front row next to Stephen Gan and Mario Sorrenti. (She presented them with the cover of the year award for their extreme-sports-themed V magazine shoot.) During Gan’s acceptance speech, he recalled the stress surrounding that shoot and noted the calming words Hadid had provided that day, via a certain sports legend: “[Gigi] said, ‘Pressure is a privilege—those are Serena Williams’s words.’”)

Hailey Baldwin also slipped in right as the proceedings were starting. Dressed in a sleek green dress, Baldwin posed for a few photos with Hadid, before she sat down next to Tommy Hilfiger and his wife. (Hilfiger would later present her with the “fashion media personality” award.) Sadly, Baldwin’s fiancé, one Justin Bieber, was not in attendance. Ashlee Simpson and a fedora-clad Evan Ross were the last to enter and take their seats, right as Criss was to take the stage. (Simpson hugged Paris Jackson before they sat down.)

Amy Schumer made a brief appearance in the middle of the show, to present the “fashion force” award to Ashley Graham. Schumer’s speech did not appear on the teleprompter, as she had been told it would, so Schumer was forced to “wing it.” (“Hi, Martha [Stewart]! Martha’s taking a picture of me!”; “[Ashley’s] the coolest bitch—you guys know that, right?”) Schumer took a quick political detour during her speech to note, “We’re losing our rights,” and asked to make sure everyone in the audience was going to vote. (Jackson would later take a moment to stress the importance of voting, as well, when she presented an award.)

Schumer continued, talking about Graham, “She’s changed our whole culture. She actually has. And people are starting to respond. Not because all of a sudden you guys became good people. But, you know, we look like America. I’m not skinny-shaming anyone, but I did fall asleep eating a bowl of pasta last night, and it was so good.”

Nicki Minaj—her hair a bright purple—made an entrance later on to present the “breakthrough model” of the year award to Winnie Harlow, whom she called a “young queen in the making.” Minaj read her speech from her phone, Schumer’s teleprompter fate not a risk. While Minaj left the room following Harlow’s award (Hadid and Baldwin also had bolted after their presentations), the rapper was still out in the lobby when the ceremony ended, where she posed with Harlow, as well as Stewart. (A guest was overheard gushing to her friend, as they made their way out, “I told Nicki that I loved her, and she told me she loved my hair.”)

Irina Shayk received the night’s final award, for “fashion icon,” presented to her by Carine Roitfeld (who praised her “taste in men”—Shayk has a child with Bradley Cooper— among her other qualities). Shayk was spotted at the after-party immediately following the ceremony, as were Simpson and Ross, Criss, the Andrew Warren-Peter Brant Jr.-Gaïa Jacquet-Matisse squad, and Kortajarena. By about 9:30 P.M., the after-party had thinned out—the models and stylists and designers, their networking complete, were on to the next Fashion Week engagement.

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